Vaara wins at Ojibwa on CVGA Senior tour

Still competing in tournament golf whenever he can, Dave Vaara of Medford put together one of his best 18-hole rounds of the summer on Sunday, Aug. 11 to win the Open division of the Chippewa Valley Golf Association’s Senior Tournament at Ojibwa Golf Course in Chippewa Falls.

Vaara shot a 2-under-par 68 during his two rounds on the nine-hole course to win the event by five strokes over Andrew Sherwin. There were 13 golfers in the Open Division (age 50 and up) competing that day.

Vaara has golfed for several years in the CVGA circuit, which tours courses in the Chippewa Valley and western Wisconsin with competition in Championship, Senior and Junior levels.

At the Senior Level, golfers compete individually for the Scheels Cup, awarded at the end of the 15-tournament season. Points are accumulated for top-five finishes at each event.

Vaara earned six points with his win at Ojibwa to raise his total to eight for the season. It was the third CVGA tourney he participated in this summer. He earned two points by tying for fourth with an 80 at Cadott’s Whispering Pines on Aug. 2. He also shot an 80 and tied for seventh at Lake Wissota on June 30.

Vaara earned 11 points in the Scheels Cup standings last year, eight in 2022 and 20 points while winning two events and tying for third overall in 2020.

While winning the Aug. 11 event, Vaara earned two skins in the tournament’s skins game competition. He had the field’s top score on the par-4 10th hole with a birdie and got an eagle on the par-5 15th.

Also recently, Vaara competed in the Wisconsin PGA’s State Open Qualifier, held July 26 at Timber Ridge Golf Course in Minocqua, which offered six automatic qualifying spots and two alternate positions for the State Open Championship. The State Open Championship was held Monday through Wednesday at the Minocqua Country Club. Vaara tied for 34th out of 52 finishers with a 12-over-par 84. Former Lakeland Union High School standout Kyle Bengtson won with a 3-under-par 69.